There are only estimated to be about 500-600 Sumatran tigers in the wild

Published Feb 8, 2019 at 4:25 PM

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This image taken from video and made available by London Zoo, shows Sumatran tiger named Asim at London Zoo, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019. Asim was recently transferred to London from a Danish safari park to serve as a new mate for female resident tiger Melati.

For ten days, the London Zoo kept its newly arrived male Sumatran tiger Asim in a separate enclosure from Melati, the female tiger who was supposed to become his mate.

Zoologists gave them time to get used to each other's presence and smells, and waited for what they felt would be the right time to let them get together. On Friday, they put the two tigers into the same enclosure — and Asim killed Melati as shocked handlers tried in vain to intervene.

It was a tragic end to hopes that the two would eventually breed as part of a Europe-wide tiger conservation program for the endangered Sumatran subspecies.

"Everyone here at ZSL London Zoo is devastated by the loss of Melati and we are heartbroken by this turn of events," the zoo said in a statement.

Contingency plans called for handlers to use loud noises, flares and alarms to try to distract the tigers, but that didn't work. They did manage to put Asim, 7, back in a separate paddock, but by that time Melati, 10, was already dead.

Asim's arrival at the zoo last week had been trumpeted in a press release showing him on the prowl and describing him as a "strapping Sumatran tiger."

The organization Tigers in Crisis says there are only estimated to be about 500 to 600 Sumatran tigers in the wild.